Health Systems for SCS

Health Systems for Specialised Clinical Services

Working with PICs to improve the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of specialised clinical services and the systems that support SCS at country level

December 2015 – Biomedical Support to Small Island States

SSCSiP has continued to provide biomedical support to the small island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. Each country was visited twice last year by the SSCSiP Biomedical Technician or the Biomedical Engineering Coordinator to provide technical assistance with repairs and maintenance of equipment, training of local staff, and to mentor and provide guidance on management of medical equipment. To assist with urgent repairs of critical equipment, SSCSiP has assisted with the purchase of items available locally or from the manufacturers.

The generic set of standards called the Pacific Perioperative Practice Bundle (PPPB) developed by Health Education & Learning Partnerships (HE&LP), in collaboration with the PPPB working group has been distributed at all 14 PICs.

November 01st 2015 – ECRI Subscription

SSCSiP has upgraded its ECRI annual subscription to SelectPlus Online. ECRI institute is an unbiased, non-profit organization in the USA that through its research provides information on medical devices, drugs, procedures and processes to help improve patient care. With SelectPlus Online, countries can request SSCSiP for information on medical equipment specifications and key considerations, alerts, procurement trends, and other related information to assist with equipment planning and procurement.

A co-funded working group meeting of senior nursing administrators and clinical nurses was convened to map out the various components needed to develop and sustain Nursing Specialisation in Fiji.

August 01st - 08th 2015 – CT Feasibility Study

In response to the request from Federated States of Micronesia, SSCSiP co-funded the feasibility study of a CT scanner for the Pohnpei State Hospital. The study was conducted by a Radiologist from PNG and SSCSiP Biomedical Engineering Coordinator.

July 19th – August 7th 2015 – Biomedical Visit to Federated States of Micronesia

The 4 states of FSM were visited by the SSCSiP Biomedical Engineering Coordinator. Situational Analysis surveys were updated, generic documents and templates were provided to the State Hospital Directors, technical assistance or advice were provided for selected equipment, and recommendations made on improving biomedical services within the states.

July 13th – 17th 2015 – Biomedical Visit to Palau

The SSCSiP Biomedical Engineering Coordinator visited Palau as a follow-up to her initial visit in 2012. Biomedical services now fall under Auxiliary services and are recognized by their hospital staffs. To assist with documentation of their work, the biomedical technicians were provided basic training on the use of Microsoft Excel, and given templates to record their assets list, service record and report to management.

April 2015 – User Care of Medical Equipment

SSCSIP has published and distributed to all PIC’s a User Care of Medical Equipment manual for users of medical equipment. For each type of equipment included, the manual provides a description of the function of the equipment, a troubleshooting checklist and a user care checklist for daily and weekly tasks. The manual can be accessed here.

February 23rd - 27th 2015 – Biomedical Visit to Tonga

The SSCSiP Biomedical Engineering Coordinator visited Tonga to gain a better understanding of biomedical services provided in the country. Activities within country included completion of the biomedical situational analysis surveys, communication with various departments to understand the functions and issues faced, and a presentation on the findings and recommendations.

January 2015 - Test Equipment

SSCSiP purchased 6 pieces of test equipment in 2014 for regional use. The Electrical Safety Analyser, Defibrillator Analyser, Electrosurgical Unit Analyser, Gas Flow Analyser, Tachometer and Doppler Ultrasound Phantom are available to the Pacific Island Countries to test and check the calibration and accuracy of their equipment. In 2015, these were used regularly in Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu by the visiting biomedical technician and have also been used in Fiji and Solomon Islands by request. The countries can request the SSCSIP Biomedical Engineering Coordinator to use any of the test equipment.